Posting without a goal: the mistake behind wasted effort

Key takeaways

Posting on social media without goals is the mistake behind most wasted effort, because without a goal a business cannot choose a platform, a buyer, a type of post or a measure of success. A useful goal names a number, a buyer and a month: 'eight quote requests a month from homeowners within 15 miles'.

• 1 goal with a number and a month is enough for most small firms.
• 'Raise awareness' cannot be checked, so it cannot guide choices.
• The goal decides the platform, the buyer and the call to action.
• Review the number monthly and change the posts, not the goal.

What is a social media goal?

A social media goal is a measurable business result that social media is expected to produce in a set period, such as enquiries, bookings, orders or job applications. It is different from activity, such as posting three times a week, which is a means to the goal rather than the goal itself.

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Why does having no goal waste effort?

Having no goal wastes effort because every post is then judged by how it feels or how many likes it gets. Businesses drift towards whatever is entertaining, which builds an audience of people who enjoy the content and never buy. A goal gives a reason to drop popular posts that bring no enquiries.

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How do you set a goal you can measure?

Set a goal you can measure by starting from the business need, not the platform. Decide what you want more of, how many, from whom and by when, and check you can count it.

• 1. Pick the result: enquiries, bookings, orders or applications.
• 2. Pick the buyer: one type of customer, one area or sector.
• 3. Pick the number: a realistic monthly figure.
• 4. Pick how you will count it: a tracked link, a form or asking customers.

Can awareness ever be a fair goal?

Awareness can be a fair goal for a business with a long sales cycle or a new product, as long as it is measured in something real: branded searches, profile visits from the target area or sector, or people mentioning you on sales calls. Awareness with no measure is a mistake; awareness with a measure is a plan.

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How do you spot that you are posting without a goal?

You are posting without a goal if you cannot say what result last month's posts were meant to produce, or if every post ends differently. Other signs are choosing posts by what you feel like sharing, and reviewing results by scrolling likes rather than counting anything.

• No written goal anywhere.
• No consistent call to action across posts.
• Posts chosen on the day.
• Results judged by feel.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: an account posting regularly for a year with no written goal, where the owner feels it is 'not doing much'. Writing one goal changes three things quickly: posts start ending with a reason to get in touch, the platform with no buyers gets paused, and monthly reviews have a number to look at.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Goal checklist

• Write one result social media should produce.
• Name the buyer and the area or sector.
• Set a monthly number.
• Decide how you will count it.
• Review it every month.

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Next step

Finish this sentence: 'Next month, social media should bring us ___ from ___.' If you cannot, start there before posting again.